As announced at the February session of the City Council, Prusa Street is to become a “ceramic street.” The idea of covering building façades with ceramic mosaics came from Andrzej Pachom, the creator of ceramic images at, among other places, the Bolesławiec Cultural Centre – International Ceramics Centre and the “Orka” Bolesławiec Aquatic Centre.
On this occasion, let us recall various curiosities connected with Bolesław Prus Street.
In the Middle Ages, the street was called Zollgasse (Customs Street) and, together with Sierpnia'80 Street (Górna/Obergasse), formed the city’s main axis. The street’s name derived from its function. It was on Customs Street that the authorities of the time collected the fees due upon entry into the city.
Bonaparte on Bolesław Prus Street
At 2 Zollstrasse (the medieval Zollgasse) stood the “Under the Black Eagle” hotel and inn, where Napoleon Bonaparte stayed overnight twice. The present building is a post-war reconstruction of a Baroque townhouse destroyed during the last war.
Napoleon Bonaparte first appeared in Bolesławiec on the night of 16 July 1807, on his way back to France after the conclusion of the Peace of Tilsit (a peace treaty between France, Russia and Prussia that, among other things, decided on the creation of the Duchy of Warsaw). In total, he visited our city five times, and it became one of the important points during the Napoleonic Wars.
Zollstrasse by the city promenade
In the 19th century, part of the city promenade was created between Theaterstrasse (Teatralna Street) and Zollstrasse (Bolesław Prus Street), and was given the name Gymnasialpromenade.
At the end of the 1860s, three representative villas were reportedly located by the promenade between Zollstrasse and the Evangelical church (today dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help). However, no iconographic materials or postcards have survived that could make it possible to identify them.
In 1879, a newly built gymnasium for the girls’ school was opened here. The gymnasium was erected on the site of the southern salt storehouse, which had previously been demolished. It stood amid greenery, not far from the school. Various varieties of maple grew there in rows, while a monumental Crimean lime tree was especially notable.
In 1895, a municipal bathhouse was built on Zollstrasse. The three-winged building stood along the line of the municipal green belt, opposite the gymnasium. This location made the bathhouse easily accessible to all residents.
The Post-War History of Bolesław Prus Street
Bolesław Kubik, the first mayor of Bolesławiec, changed the names of German streets to Polish ones. He established a street bearing his own name in Bolesławiec, which still exists today, and on 1 June 1945 merged two streets—Bolesław Prus Street (Zollstrasse) and Zgorzelecka Street (Görlitzerstrasse)—and named the new thoroughfare after Rola-Żymierski.
In 1957, the street received a new name. Its namesake remains the author of “The Doll,” Bolesław Prus. At the beginning of the 21st century, Bolesław Prus Street was a pedestrian zone. The street was closed to car traffic at the request of shopkeepers. It was then renovated and paved with blocks. Greenery, benches and stylish street lamps were added. The gateways leading to the courtyards were closed with decorative grilles.
Today, Bolesław Prus Street is a beautiful part of the city, with numerous restaurants and small shops, along which dozens of students travel from the bus station to secondary schools.